Warren Mackenzie Platter Decorating Technique

[Armen Enikolopov]

There's a specific thing that Warren sometimes does on some of his platters, these lines that are thick on the ends and thin in the middle, and I wonder if people think that this is just done with a brush, or it's poured, or what. I provide links to 3 examples below.

 

http://www.schallergallery.com/artists/macwa/pieces/macw1520.jpg

http://www.schallergallery.com/artists/macwa/pieces/macw1387.jpg

http://www.jra.org/Get%20Involved/Images/WMackenzie.jpg

 

Thanks,

Armen

[TJR]

Armen;

Looks like brush pigment on top of the glaze. Looks like he purposely makes the end thick.

TJR.

[Biglou13]

beautiful plates  thanks for posting

 

+ 1 on brush technique

 

try pausing at beginning and end of brush stroke.  or increase pressure at start and finish of stroke

 

red plate looks like a shino,   any idea what he is brushing on top?

[Armen Enikolopov]

beautiful plates  thanks for posting

 

+ 1 on brush technique

 

try pausing at beginning and end of brush stroke.  or increase pressure at start and finish of stroke

 

red plate looks like a shino,   any idea what he is brushing on top?

They're all shinos. definitely just iron oxide on the red shino. The black on the very white plate almost looks too black for mackenzie, I don't know what it is but probably just iron oxide and maybe some manganese, over the shino. 

[bciskepottery]

Just love the change in direction of one line in his pattern. 

 

RIO on shino. 

[Guest JBaymore]

Use a fude style brush (Japanese calligraphy brush).  Load it fully with pigment.  Tag it down onto the surface and press lightly...... then as you draw the brush over the surface lift up slightly to reduce the pressure (and the thickness of line).  As you near the other end of the line, start putting slight downward pressure on the brush.  Stop moving the brush while there is still downward pressure on it.  Lift straight up.

 

Practice this with red iton oxide and water on a copy of the NY Times.  By the time you have filled a few dozen pages with lines... you'll understand how to do it.

 

Learn to paint the classic bamboo stalk used in sumi painting.... and you'll understand how this effect is done. 

 

best,

 

.......................john 

[PeterH]

I found this video helpful as I tried to visualise the process. Start at 3 min into the video for the

bone stroke, you may then want to restart from the beginning to see the shaping of the dots.

 

Regards, Peter

PS Warren seems to have deliberately varied the thickness during the long stroke.

[Armen Enikolopov]

Thank you all, PeterH especially. Fascinating and very helpful. 

[PeterH]

Those, like me, unfamiliar with calligraphy may be amused by this product:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpexQaxFbGwRe

Regards, Peter

 

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any problems try entering "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpexQaxFbGwRe"

directly (without the quotes).

[amnceramics]

He uses the long side of a yellow kitchen sponge. No brush. No calligraphy. Just a sponge.

[Pyewackette]

Thank you!  I thought it looked like some variation of a stamping technique!

[Armen Enikolopov]

Amazing. Thank you. Thanks for making an account just to answer this. That seems somehow more Mackenzie's

speed. 

He uses the long side of a yellow kitchen sponge. No brush. No calligraphy. Just a sponge.